My pinky finger cannot move independently from my ring finger on my right hand - they're both bend simultaneously. However, my ring finger can move independently from my pinky finger.
Dante has a very straightforward look in that most of his wardrobe is composed of jeans and t-shirts. He keeps his face scruffy and his body well toned and ready for a fight if ever it came to fisticuffs. His feet are typically adorned in leather boots and he's most often seen dressed in darker colors. His eyes are a vibrant hazel and his hair a dark brown. Physically, the features that stand out most with Dante are his hands. Each one is missing a ring finger that Dante sacrificed in order to execute a particularly costly spell. Despite his hands being deformed, they are still fully functional. Regardless, the warlock tends to wear black leather gloves to try and hide his loss.
PSYCHE
This man's personality can be described in five simple words: Mischievous, sarcastic, competitive, ambitious and temperamental. Dante is very selective when it comes to friends, but once you have his favor, it's hard to get rid of him. He can be considered aggressive, easily upset if he feels he's not being given his due respect. To that end, he is also earnest in his drive to get the things he wants and is not quick to give up in those goals.
BACKSTORY
Dante Erie is a has been chased by misfortune for most of his life. He was born unto witch parents who looked upon him like a prop, like another ingredient for one of their complex spells. He was raised as a rancher would raise their livestock. He would be left in his room for hours, the only interaction he was ever granted being the few seconds that the door opened just wide enough for one of his parents to slide in a plate of food or place down a new roll of toilet paper. Even then, there was rarely words exchanged in those moments.
That was until a particularly dark sabbath. One evening his parents came into his room and finally told him, "It's time." Dante was filled with fear and anxiety as they led him into a shadowy room filled with candles and ritualistic markings on the floors and walls. They showed him to his mark and told him not to move from that position no matter what. Then the chanting began. A terrifying name kept coming out of their mouths as they moaned, spoke to the ceiling and swayed with their arms in the air. It didn't take long for Dante to deduce that they were calling for someone... that they were summoning someone... something. The ungodly name was just that - the thing they were summoning had to be demonic.
Panicked, Dante summoned all his will and commanded his own feet to move. At first, they disobeyed but after another moment, the young boy finally mustered the strength to move and, once he started, he refused to stop. He busted out of the front door of the house and ran down the street, pumping his legs as fast as possible. He could hear his parents calling out for him, anger in their voices as they tried to launch a pursuit. Dante was too fast, though.
Frustrated and furious, Dante's parents were cheated out of their sacrifice. Their demonic lord would be none too pleased. To retaliate, his parents decided to turn Dante into what he feared; they chanted our a curse that would permanently change the young boy's appearance into that of a demon. Just before the curse was complete, however, their home was raided by witches sent forth to bring them to justice for their notoriously taboo practices. They fell, casualties of the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Dante's curse was never completed but that doesn't mean it didn't have an effect. During the night of every sabbath, Dante's form changes to that of a demon. This change, however, is just skin deep. He is still very much a typical witch on the inside. His strength level also remains the same. However, as a demonic version of himself, he has access to sharp teeth and claws that he otherwise wouldn't have. His form has one particularly frustrating disadvantage. As a demon, he lacks lips which makes communication frustratingly difficult and executing spoken spells becomes next to impossible.
As the years went by, Dante found himself hunted by various covens who had heard of the notorious demons that walks the streets at night. Once he was captured, it didn't take long to figure out that Dante didn't behave as a demon would and once the sunlight kissed his skin, his humanoid face came through and he was finally able to tell them his story.
Since then, the coven has attempted to educate and train him on how to use magic and even worked with him on trying to figure out how to lift the unfinished curse. All attempts thus far have failed and the curse remains, but Dante has become expertly educated in shapeshifting spells. None of them appear to work when it is the demon's night, though.
Regardless, Dante does what he can to take down witches that consort with demons while also continuing his research to solve his own blight.
Notable Rumor:
Dante's mother must've had sex with a demon and produced a mixed race spawn.
Obviously not. Even when Dante looks demonic, he is still 100% humanoid
Greatest Fear: Getting stuck looking like a monster forever is what Dante fears most. He hates his face when it is changed each sabbath and constantly worries that the sun will come up and the curse will remain.
NOTABLES
Magic:
Most Notable Study: Shapeshifting Unlike glamour, Dante is both cursed and blessed with the ability to physically manipulate his body with the aid of magic to create lasting, tangible effects. In addition to taking on various full forms of other creatures, he can also change isolated elements of his limbs to suit his purposes such as claws when he needs to climb, eyes when he needs nightvision or webbed extremities if he needed to move through water. His skill in this art was honed over time in an effort to find a way to rid himself of his demonic looking visage of which he was cursed.
While not particularly botanically gifted, he often uses the life of plants as a sacrifice for his magic but has even resorted to offering his own appendages in times of great distress. As mentioned above, Dante is lacking both of his ring fingers, an unfortunate payment for his power.
Interested Studies: Self Healing The ability to control the intricacies of one's vessel comes with a lot of possibilities for magical advantage in any given situation. One that Dante is interested, but not well versed, in is the ability to heal himself by mentally commanding his body to mend just as he does to transform. While the latter is instinctual and therefore easier to perform, the former takes a nearly surgical understanding of the body that Dante does not quite possess. Small scrapes and cuts are easy enough to tend to with some guided mystic will, but any wound of significant damage would have to be treated the old fashioned way.
Interested Studies: Charms Many witches create charms as a way to perform magic with less taxation. Dante is only just beginning to learn about the advantages of charms and how to put them to use, but he is working toward finding a way to evoke his transformative magic without needing to rely on a healthy supply of fauna.
Interested Studies: Incantation Articulate and gifted with advanced memory, Dante can learn incantations with a natural ease when given the opportunity. Incantations are one of the easiest methods of magic for Dante to grasp but, being of the of few disciplines he excels at, he is at a particular disadvantage on Sabbath nights when his lips are gone along with his ability to recite spells accurately.
Lackluster Studies: Potions Dante couldn't make a dinner more complicated than a sandwich, much less a potent concoction of magic. He leaves the science to the scientists, so to speak, and while he respects those who can mix together power in a bottle, he is just not among those brewmasters.
Other:
Despite not being of legal age, Dante enjoys a drink or two.
Gambling is one of Dante's many famed vices.
Dante has never turned down a dare as a point of pride.
Dante has a very straightforward look in that most of his wardrobe is composed of jeans and t-shirts. He keeps his face scruffy and his body well toned and ready for a fight if ever it came to fisticuffs. His feet are typically adorned in leather boots and he's most often seen dressed in darker colors. His eyes are a vibrant hazel and his hair a dark brown. Physically, the features that stand out most with Dante are his hands. Each one is missing a ring finger that Dante sacrificed in order to execute a particularly costly spell. Despite his hands being deformed, they are still fully functional. Regardless, the warlock tends to wear black leather gloves to try and hide his loss.
PSYCHE
This man's personality can be described in five simple words: Mischievous, sarcastic, competitive, ambitious and temperamental. Dante is very selective when it comes to friends, but once you have his favor, it's hard to get rid of him. He can be considered aggressive, easily upset if he feels he's not being given his due respect. To that end, he is also earnest in his drive to get the things he wants and is not quick to give up in those goals.
BACKSTORY
Dante Erie is a has been chased by misfortune for most of his life. He was born unto witch parents who looked upon him like a prop, like another ingredient for one of their complex spells. He was raised as a rancher would raise their livestock. He would be left in his room for hours, the only interaction he was ever granted being the few seconds that the door opened just wide enough for one of his parents to slide in a plate of food or place down a new roll of toilet paper. Even then, there was rarely words exchanged in those moments.
That was until a particularly dark sabbath. One evening his parents came into his room and finally told him, "It's time." Dante was filled with fear and anxiety as they led him into a shadowy room filled with candles and ritualistic markings on the floors and walls. They showed him to his mark and told him not to move from that position no matter what. Then the chanting began. A terrifying name kept coming out of their mouths as they moaned, spoke to the ceiling and swayed with their arms in the air. It didn't take long for Dante to deduce that they were calling for someone... that they were summoning someone... something. The ungodly name was just that - the thing they were summoning had to be demonic.
Panicked, Dante summoned all his will and commanded his own feet to move. At first, they disobeyed but after another moment, the young boy finally mustered the strength to move and, once he started, he refused to stop. He busted out of the front door of the house and ran down the street, pumping his legs as fast as possible. He could hear his parents calling out for him, anger in their voices as they tried to launch a pursuit. Dante was too fast, though.
Frustrated and furious, Dante's parents were cheated out of their sacrifice. Their demonic lord would be none too pleased. To retaliate, his parents decided to turn Dante into what he feared; they chanted our a curse that would permanently change the young boy's appearance into that of a demon. Just before the curse was complete, however, their home was raided by witches sent forth to bring them to justice for their notoriously taboo practices. They fell, casualties of the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Dante's curse was never completed but that doesn't mean it didn't have an effect. During the night of every sabbath, Dante's form changes to that of a demon. This change, however, is just skin deep. He is still very much a typical witch on the inside. His strength level also remains the same. However, as a demonic version of himself, he has access to sharp teeth and claws that he otherwise wouldn't have. His form has one particularly frustrating disadvantage. As a demon, he lacks lips which makes communication frustratingly difficult and executing spoken spells becomes next to impossible.
As the years went by, Dante found himself hunted by various covens who had heard of the notorious demons that walks the streets at night. Once he was captured, it didn't take long to figure out that Dante didn't behave as a demon would and once the sunlight kissed his skin, his humanoid face came through and he was finally able to tell them his story.
Since then, the coven has attempted to educate and train him on how to use magic and even worked with him on trying to figure out how to lift the unfinished curse. All attempts thus far have failed and the curse remains, but Dante has become expertly educated in shapeshifting spells. None of them appear to work when it is the demon's night, though.
Regardless, Dante does what he can to take down witches that consort with demons while also continuing his research to solve his own blight.
Notable Rumor:
Dante's mother must've had sex with a demon and produced a mixed race spawn.
Obviously not. Even when Dante looks demonic, he is still 100% humanoid
Greatest Fear: Getting stuck looking like a monster forever is what Dante fears most. He hates his face when it is changed each sabbath and constantly worries that the sun will come up and the curse will remain.
NOTABLES
Magic:
Most Notable Study: Shapeshifting Unlike glamour, Dante is both cursed and blessed with the ability to physically manipulate his body with the aid of magic to create lasting, tangible effects. In addition to taking on various full forms of other creatures, he can also change isolated elements of his limbs to suit his purposes such as claws when he needs to climb, eyes when he needs nightvision or webbed extremities if he needed to move through water. His skill in this art was honed over time in an effort to find a way to rid himself of his demonic looking visage of which he was cursed.
While not particularly botanically gifted, he often uses the life of plants as a sacrifice for his magic but has even resorted to offering his own appendages in times of great distress. As mentioned above, Dante is lacking both of his ring fingers, an unfortunate payment for his power.
Interested Studies: Self Healing The ability to control the intricacies of one's vessel comes with a lot of possibilities for magical advantage in any given situation. One that Dante is interested, but not well versed, in is the ability to heal himself by mentally commanding his body to mend just as he does to transform. While the latter is instinctual and therefore easier to perform, the former takes a nearly surgical understanding of the body that Dante does not quite possess. Small scrapes and cuts are easy enough to tend to with some guided mystic will, but any wound of significant damage would have to be treated the old fashioned way.
Interested Studies: Charms Many witches create charms as a way to perform magic with less taxation. Dante is only just beginning to learn about the advantages of charms and how to put them to use, but he is working toward finding a way to evoke his transformative magic without needing to rely on a healthy supply of fauna.
Interested Studies: Incantation Articulate and gifted with advanced memory, Dante can learn incantations with a natural ease when given the opportunity. Incantations are one of the easiest methods of magic for Dante to grasp but, being of the of few disciplines he excels at, he is at a particular disadvantage on Sabbath nights when his lips are gone along with his ability to recite spells accurately.
Lackluster Studies: Potions Dante couldn't make a dinner more complicated than a sandwich, much less a potent concoction of magic. He leaves the science to the scientists, so to speak, and while he respects those who can mix together power in a bottle, he is just not among those brewmasters.
Other:
Despite not being of legal age, Dante enjoys a drink or two.
Gambling is one of Dante's many famed vices.
Dante has never turned down a dare as a point of pride.
@canaryrose, Thanks for the input. I will work on coming up with an alternative powerset and history. Been brainstorming with the crew in discord. Will hopefully have an idea by tomorrow.
Leaning toward Druidism. Shapeshifting, Animal companionship/channeling, connection with nature, etc.
I couldn't help but borrow from @WanderingSpirit's very attractive format. I present for your consideration:
══════════════
BASICS
Name: Dante Erie
Gender / Preferred Pronouns: He / Him / They
Age: 20
Birthday: April 15 ♈︎
Sexuality: Heterosexual
APPEARANCE
Dante has a very straightforward look in that most of his wardrobe is composed of jeans and t-shirts. He keeps his face scruffy and his body well toned and ready for a fight if ever it came to fisticuffs. His feet are typically adorned in leather boots and he's most often seen dressed in darker colors. He's got a burn scar across his left shin, a gift left over from a dual with a fellow magic slinger that has never quite healed. His eyes are a vibrant hazel and his hair a dark brown.
PSYCHE
This man's personality can be described in five simple words: Mischievous, sarcastic, competitive, ambitious and fearless. Dante is very selective when it comes to friends, but once you have his favor, it's hard to get rid of him. He can be considered aggressive, easily upset if he feels he's not being given his due respect. To that end, he is also earnest in his drive to get the things he wants and is not quick to give up in those goals.
BACKSTORY
Dante Erie is a mutt. There's no other way to describe the young man, given the story of how he came to be. Conceived by a magically gifted Katherine and Windol Erie, the start of Dante's story seemed like it was sure to end well with a cozy house, black picket fences and not a care in the world. Windol and Katherine used to be star pupils of their craft, but when news of the baby came to them, they quickly decided to change their lifestyle, choosing their future family over the mystic arts.
Abandoning their coven, the two found themselves secluded on a plot of land populated by very few to live a life of independent solitude. Windol and his wife carried on through life almost as humans would, living off the land and putting in long hours of manual labor to keep food on the table. There would be times when Windol would cheat, employing his supernatural gifts, but the couple had moved so far from any wellspring that the fuel that fed their magic was hard to come by.
One day, just like any other, the Erie family was met with intruders. A pack of werewolves had invaded their homestead, mindlessly looking for a prize at the end of their hunt; a warm meal. The very pregnant Katherine attempted to run away, to find a spot to hide, but her reflexes were nothing compared to the lycan who pursued her. She paid for her sluggishness with flesh. As soon as the crimson fluid reached the surface of her wound and began pouring to the ground, Windol was taken aback and reacted with primal rage. Summoning every ounce of strength and power within him, he charged at the wolves and laid slaughter to them all in a scene of gruesome arcane horror. The last hurrah came with a price, though, and despite his victory, Windol ultimately fell.
The pains of sudden labor woke Katherine up out of her shock. The baby was coming and something felt... wrong. Quickly, she left her home, which was now just a scene of crimson death, and made her way to the coven that raised her. The contractions were growing exponentially in force and frequency. Soon an unnatural pain began to erupt from her abdomen as blood began to fill her mouth, dribbling out the corners. Finally she found herself on the grounds of The Sisters of the Dying Branch. As she collapsed in the front courtyard, she screamed out in horror as the skin on her stomach began to move and stretch. A little hand could be seen pushing out and at the tips of each finger, streams of blood began to form on the surface of Katherine's belly. She was being ripped apart from the inside out. She whaled uncontrollably, but there was nothing anyone could do at this point. What was going to happen was inevitable.
When the sisters of the coven finally came upon the scene, they were greeted with a bloodied boy playing delightfully in the entrails of his mother as he looked up at them with a grin and giggled with a chime of innocence.
The little monster was sent away to be raised by a friend of the coven, Sarah Langford, who volunteered to help create a blessing out of tragedy. Raising this witchy spawn who also had a diluted, yet versatile animalistic curse running through his veins was no easy task. Even still, Sarah stuck it out and raised the boy as her own. Though Sarah was not a witch of impressive talent, she knew just enough to give Dante a head start in his studies. Once he came of age, the Coven took over his tutelage, training Dante to hone his magical abilities to great effect.
Notable Rumor:
Some have said that Dante exclusively relieves himself in outdoor settings as a way to mark his territory.
While part of that is true, it can be more accurately attributed by Dante's laziness in trying to find the nearest restroom
Greatest Fear: Looking Stupid or Weak is Dante's worst fear. Whether its a result of being unprepared or putting all of his faith into poor choice, Dante constantly second guesses himself even if it's not outwardly obvious. To that end, he hesitates when it comes to taking a leadership role in a group as he's never sure if his opinion is the best or if his abilities are the most powerful. Despite being at the coven for quite some time now, Dante is also a little sensitive that others younger than he have already surpassed him in most of their mystical mastery.
NOTABLES
Magic:
Most Notable Study: Shapeshifting Unlike glamour, Dante is both cursed and blessed with the ability to physically manipulate his body with the aid of magic to create lasting, tangible effects. His favored battle form is a bipedal werewolf, though his version is of smaller stature than your classic lycanthrope, looking more like a man stuck halfway between a full transformation. He can also change isolated elements of his limbs to suit his purposes such as claws when he needs to climb, eyes when he needs nightvision or webbed extremities if he needed to move through water. This ability is a byproduct of his diluted exposure to the lycanthropic curse when he was in his mother's womb as explained in the Bio section, and it's source of power is slightly different than most magic used by witches.
The cost for this magic is control. The longer and more often he utilizes this ability, the harder it is to come out of it. It is one of the reasons he is interested in charm magic as he hopes he can one day find a supernatural lightening rod, so to speak, that can help him stave off the bestial nature that continues to try and dominate his mind.
Interested Studies: Self Healing The ability to control the intricacies of one's vessel comes with a lot of possibilities for magical advantage in any given situation. One that Dante is interested, but not well versed, in is the ability to heal himself by mentally commanding his body to mend just as he does to transform. While the latter is instinctual and therefore easier to perform, the former takes a nearly surgical understanding of the body that Dante does not quite possess. Small scrapes and cuts are easy enough to tend to with some guided mystic will, but any wound of significant damage would have to be treated the old fashioned way.
Interested Studies: Charms Many witches create charms as a way to perform magic with less taxation. Dante is only just beginning to learn about the advantages of charms and how to put them to use, but he is working toward finding a way to evoke his transformative magic without feeling the drain of the feat.
Interested Studies: Incantation In order to maintain a dominant will over his instincts, Dante has made great use of mantras and the power of the spoken word. Articulate and gifted with advanced memory, Dante can learn incantations with a natural ease when given the opportunity.
Lackluster Studies: Potions Dante couldn't make a dinner more complicated than a sandwich, much less a potent concoction of magic. He leaves the science to the scientists, so to speak, and while he respects those who can mix together power in a bottle, he is just not among those brewmasters.
Other:
Despite not being of legal age, Dante enjoys a drink or two.
Gambling is one of Dante's many famed vices.
Dante has never turned down a dare as a point of pride.
